EP-4736657-A1 - PROCESS FOR SALTING A FOOD PRODUCT

Abstract

Process for salting a food product, comprising the steps of: carrying out a first salting of the food product with an amount of salt comprised between 1 Kg and 4 Kg per 100 Kg of product; vacuum sealing the salted product in a specific bag; allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C for a period of time of at least 6 days.

Inventors

• RONCHEI, Francesca
• RONCHEI, Marco

Assignees

• Parma Technology Food di Aschieri Vilma

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20251028

Claims (10)

1. 1. A process for salting a food product, comprising the steps of: carrying out a first salting of the food product with an amount of salt comprised between 1 Kg and 4 Kg per 100 Kg of product; vacuum sealing the salted product in a specific bag; allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C for a period of at least 6 days.
2. 2. The salting process according to claim 1, wherein said first salting is the only salting that is carried out in the salting process, and the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C takes place over a period of time comprised between 8 and 15 days.
3. 3. The salting process according to claim 2, wherein said step of allowing the salted product to rest takes place over a period of time comprised between 12 and 15 days.
4. 4. The salting process according to claim 1, comprising a step of removing the food product from the vacuum bag, a subsequent step of carrying out a second salting of the food product with an amount of salt comprised between 1 Kg and 4 Kg per 100 Kg of product and an additional subsequent step of vacuum sealing the salted product in another bag and allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room.
5. 5. The salting process according to claim 4, wherein the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room after the first salting takes place over a period of time comprised between 6 and 8 days.
6. 6. The salting process according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room after the second salting takes place over a period of time comprised between 6 and 8 days.
7. 8. The salting process according to claim 1, comprising a step of removing the product from the vacuum bag and a subsequent step of vacuum sealing again the food product in a bag without performing a second salting and allowing it to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room.
8. 9. The salting process according to claim 1, comprising a step of allowing the salted product to rest in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C for a period of time comprised between 5 and 30 days, outside of a vacuum bag; wherein this step takes place between the step of carrying out a first salting and the step of vacuum sealing the food product in a bag.
9. 10. The salting process according to claim 9, wherein the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C takes place over a period of time comprised between 15 and 25 days.
10. 11. The salting process according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the step of carrying out a first salting takes place with an amount of salt comprised between 3 Kg and 4 Kg per 100 Kg of product.

Description

The present invention relates to a process for salting a food product. In particular, the salting process which is the subject-matter of the present invention is particularly suitable as a process for maturing and preserving cured meat products (both cooked and raw). As is known, a traditional salting process takes place with a first salting on the outer surface. Typically, the amount of salt used is equal to about half of the salt to be used overall. After the first salting, the product is placed in a cold storage room (temperature about 1÷3 °C) for a duration of 5/6 days in order to allow the osmotic process of absorption of the salt by the food. It is customary to repeat the operation a second time. Then the product is extracted from the cold storage room and the residual salt is removed from the surface. Subsequently, the product must be massaged to promote the uniform distribution of the salt and repositioned in the cold storage rooms for a variable time, typically comprised between 60 and 120 days depending on the type of product and the muscle mass. Finally, the product is extracted from the cold storage rooms and hung for "hot" maturing. As is known, the salting and resting process typically takes place before aging, which in turn precedes the marketing of the product. Such traditional process brings therewith a series of technical-functional drawbacks, which briefly consist of: the medium-long times necessary to obtain the osmotic process of the product following the salting process;the uneven absorption of salt by the productthe amount of salt needed to complete the process;the consequent high salt content of the final product;strict compliance with the times marked by the salting steps. Furthermore, the use of large amounts of salt involves a substantial residue whose disposal is laborious and economically expensive (given the impossibility of discharging the washing water into the sewer). Often, in order to reduce production times and costs, a second salting is omitted, compromising the quality of the product. The number, duration and complexity of the operations require a high number of hours of work and the employment of highly qualified employees. In this context, the technical task underlying the present invention is to propose a process for salting a food product which obviates the drawbacks in the known art as described above. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for salting a food product, which consistently reduces both the amount of salt used and the overall times of the conservation process, with respect to traditional processes. Another object of the present invention is to propose a process for salting a food product, which is reproducible, which offers constant results and guarantees a high quality of the product. A further object of the present invention is to provide a process for salting a food product, which ensures a homogeneous distribution of the salt in the food product, while avoiding the step of massaging the product of traditional processes. A further object of the present invention is to propose a process for salting a food product, which makes the final product also usable by consumers who, for reasons of diet or health, intend to eat foods with a low salt content. The stated technical task and specified objects are substantially achieved by a process for salting a food product, comprising the steps of: carrying out a first salting of the food product with an amount of salt comprised between 1 Kg and 4 Kg per 100 Kg of product;vacuum sealing the salted product in a specific bag;allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C for a period of time of at least 6 days. In accordance with a first embodiment, the first salting is the only salting that is carried out in the salting process, and the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room at a temperature comprised between 1 °C and 3.5 °C takes place over a period of time comprised between 8 and 15 days. More preferably, it takes place for a period of time comprised between 12 and 15 days. In accordance with a second embodiment, the process comprises a step of removing the product from the vacuum bag, carrying out a second salting of the food product with an amount of salt comprised between 1 Kg and 4 Kg per 100 Kg of product and an additional subsequent step of vacuum sealing the salted product in another bag and allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room. According to one aspect of the invention, the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room after the first salting takes place over a period of time comprised between 6 and 8 days. According to one aspect of the invention, the step of allowing the salted product to rest in the vacuum bag in a cold storage room after the second salting takes